Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Antica Bronze’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Antica Bronze’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; and decorative-type inflorescences that are initially red in color becoming reddish orange bronze to lighter orange bronze with development.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘ANTICA BRONZE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Antica Bronze’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniformly mounding and freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in September, 2008 of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Luciano’, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Carpino Red’, not patented. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2009.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in February, 2010. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Antica Bronze’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Antica Bronze’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant         habit; moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences that are initially red in         color becoming reddish orange bronze to lighter orange bronze         with development.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the female parent, ‘Luciano’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more rounded than plants         of ‘Luciano’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more flexible than and         not as brittle as plants of ‘Luciano’.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Luciano’.     -   4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Luciano’ differ in ray         floret color as plants of ‘Luciano’ have bright orange-colored         ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the male parent, ‘Carpino Red’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more rounded than plants         of ‘Carpino Red’.     -   2. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are smaller and         slightly lighter green in color than leaves of plants of         ‘Luciano’.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘PPP PIZ R05’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,059. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘PPP PIZ R05’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were darker green         in color than leaves of plants of ‘PPP PIZ R05’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences         than plants of ‘PPP PIZ R05’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Antica Bronze’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer to late autumn under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 25° C. to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 20° C. Plants were 20 weeks old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Antica Bronze’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Luciano’,             not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Carpino             Red’, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems             upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded             appearance to the plant; very freely branching habit, about             20 primary lateral branches develop, each primary lateral             branch with multiple secondary branches; pinching enhances             lateral branch development; dense and full plant habit;             strong and moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 50 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 55 cm to 65 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm to 22 cm. Diameter:             About 2 mm to 3 mm. Internode length: About 2.5 cm to 3 cm.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged.             Color: Close to 145A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 4 cm             to 5 cm. Width: About 3 cm to 3.5 cm. Apex: Rounded to             cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and             serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly             pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to             145A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 145B. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 139C; venation,             close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 145B; venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petioles: Length:             About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Slightly pubescent and rough. Color, upper             surface: Close to 139C. Color, lower surface: Close to 145B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form;             inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc             and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower early October in Belgium.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about seven weeks in an outdoor nursery;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 20 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 5 mm. Diameter: About             8 mm. Shape: Globular. Color: Close to 145A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5 cm. Depth (height):             About 3 cm. Disc diameter: About 5 mm. Receptacle diameter:             About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 144B.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 2.5 cm to 3 cm. Width: About             4 mm. Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 125 to 150 arranged in about eight             whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 53A.             When opening, lower surface: Close to 185B. Fully opened,             upper surface: Close to 179A; color becoming closer to 171 A             with development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to             179B; color becoming closer to 171B with development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to             1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated; apices acute. Number of             disc florets per inflorescence: About 50. Color, immature:             Apex: Close to 145A. Mid-section: Close to 145A. Base: Close             to 145A. Color, mature: Apex: Close to 12A. Mid-section:             Close to 12A. Base: Close to 12A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25             arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm.             Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded.             Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:             Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 3 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 4 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About             5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.             Color: Close to 145A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Not observed.         -   Seeds and fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Chrysanthemum plants has not been observed on plants of the new     Chrysanthemum grown under commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate     temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Antica Bronze’ as illustrated and described. 